Queen of Spain Fritillary
Issoria
lathonia
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Switzerland, March 2007
Switzerland, May 2010
Switzerland, March 2007
Switzerland, March 2007
Switzerland, February 2007
Switzerland, February 2007
Switzerland, March 2006
Switzerland, June 2005
Caterpillar, Switzerland, April 2014
Caterpillar, Switzerland, April 2014
Distribution
There is no difficulty in identifying the species. The
upperside is
very spotty, the wing shape characteristic and the underside, with its
huge silver blobs unmistakeable. However, it is often very small - as
small as a violet fritillary or small pearl-bordered fritillary - and
this might cause confusion when it is not seen closely. Typically,
spring broods are smaller and darker than summer broods.
The caterpillars feed on violets - preferentially those in the
tricolor
group. In the Rhône Valley, these may be found in leaf throughout the
year, though they are maximal in spring. In March I have counted over
100 adult butterflies on a single walk in the vineyards, and it is
about this time that they spread out and into the mountains. At an
altitude of 1000m I usually see the first ones in April, but
occasionally in March. Through the summer they spread right up to the
highest mountains. They disappear in late autumn from their mountain
haunts. I do not know whether any move back down into the valley to
continue breeding there.